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This paper aims to explain how a forest-sector-based discourse—each city should have its own forest—could gain prominence in current land use debates and even come to produce a new set of spatial practices for shaping the rural–urban interface. To this end, the focus was on the genealogy of discourse–actor relationships over recent decades, including the ‘translation’ of discourse into various (non)-discursive forms. The genealogical discourse approach has enabled not only the taking of a novel perspective on contemporary policies and practices of urban forest planning, but importantly, the addition of some insights into the constitutive role of discourse. In particular, the paper questions what makes a story line effective (or not) in carrying forward a strategic idea along the various trajectories from concepts and ideas to actual implementation that are constitutive of a long-term policy process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southern Chile experienced serious deforestation during the past century and it is projected that by the year 2025 Chile will be devoid of native forests. One of the most important endemic tree species of the country and at the same time one of the most endangered ones is Araucaria araucana (Mol.) C. Koch, the monkey-puzzle tree. It grows in the Andes Mountains, homeland of the indigenous Mapuche Pewenche people who depend on this tree. This paper is based on participatory field research with a Mapuche Pewenche community in the southern Chilean Andes on their ecological knowledge, values, use and management of the Araucaria araucana forest. It attempts to reveal how indigenous people and their knowledge contribute to the sustainable management of these forests. The paper (1) illustrates the complexity of indigenous ecological knowledge of Araucaria araucana and its efficacy in native forest management, (2) explores the link between the conservation and use of biodiversity by the indigenous people, and (3) provides answers relevant to native forest management and conservation strategies ex-situ and in-situ incorporating indigenous and scientific knowledge, thus providing a contribution towards integrated natural resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I describe and analyze the effects of construction of the Boquete­Cerro Punta ecological road, and conclude that the road project will not fulfill its stated purposes. Thus the continued construction of the road demonstrates the government's lack of commitment to sustainable development and conservation in the Chiriqui region and refusal to accommodate the goals and concerns of the public in a participatory political process. This paper uses as its ‘lens’ a remote, rural road in western Panama to observe and analyze the conflict between conservation and development. An unsatisfactory end result—in this case road construction—is not the only source of dismay. The overall political process itself has elicited broad dissatisfaction in many sectors of society. Throughout this paper, I illuminate the importance of unified development and conservation goals, the benefits of transparency, and the perils of unilateral decision-making. I conclude with two sets of recommendations. I suggest alternative government projects more practically suited to fulfill the goals of sustainable development and conservation in the region and recommend bottom-up and top-down strategies for achieving greater participation in the political process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines the local community benefits associated with intensively managed industrial roundwood plantations (IMPIRs). It is based on a review of existing literature. I focus on three issues: natural resource access and control, job creation, and the effects of creating forest reserves as a corollary of establishing industrial roundwood plantations. The cases reviewed here indicate that IMPIRs often bring about land ownership concentration, loss of customary rights of resource access, rural displacement, and socioeconomic decline in neighboring communities. Beneficiaries include large rural landowners who sell or lease their land to forestry companies, and people who are able to find jobs in the forestry sector. IMPIRs do not appear to provide enough quality .jobs to stimulate community development, and rarely benefit people who are already politically and economically marginalized. The paper concludes by suggesting ways in which plantation forestry can become more integrated with surrounding communities to increase local benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines the role of population density on land use allocation and change. We are especially interested in the management of fallow areas that have come under increasing pressure given restrictions imposed by the creation of protected areas like national parks. It is argued that these restrictions to reduce deforestation create a relative scarcity of land, and applies insights about the management of fallows from Boserup''s classic work on agricultural intensification and population growth. This paper examines land use in the Cerro Azul Meambar National Park in Honduras. Land use allocation is evaluated using data from a social survey of 600 farms in the Park''s buffer zone, and land use classifications based on Landsat satellite images. Change in land use is analyzed by comparing satellite image-based land use classifications in 1993 and 1999. The analysis indicates that differences in population density are an important factor in explaining land use allocation and change. Whether in areas of high population density or low, fallow areas are reduced when land is scarcer. In areas of low population density, reforestation efforts associated with Park management lead to the displacement of fallows. In areas of high population density fallows give way to more intensive land uses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Drawing on case studies carried out in the upper watersheds of the Mekong and Salween Rivers in northwest Yunnan Province, this paper examines two of China’s nascent national, large-scale forestry programs: the Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) and the National Forest Protection Program (NFPP). It identifies their impacts on rural communities and local line agencies, as well as preliminary community and agency responses to the programs. The paper argues that as well-intentioned as the programs are, they fail to accomplish the envisaged goal of mitigating erosion and surface flow in upper watersheds and subsequently having a positive impact in flood plains and preventing floods. In addition, it also reveals some of the negative impacts on livelihoods of mountain communities, their environment and overall agro-biodiversity. Priority issues associated with SLCP and NFPP implementation arising from the case studies are also highlighted. The case studies suggest that more extensive program piloting and experimentation is required before forest conservation activities are scaled up. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose - This paper seeks to evaluate different approaches to forest conservation in the areas outside the national parks of south-western Madagascar. Design/methodology/approach - Data from a household survey in the area are employed to analyse farmer strategies towards conservation of local forest resources, and present conservation strategies are evaluated in this light Findings - It is argued that the prospects for future forest conservation in the area are dim at best and that any policy proposal intended to remedy this situation must as a first priority establish alternative livelihood opportunities for the local population in order to ensure a minimum of incentives for conservation on their behalf. Originality/value - The paper is of value to all those interested or involved with sustainability issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the impacts on timber and forest products markets of increasing forest conservation in Norway. A partial equilibrium forest sector model is applied to analyse effects on roundwood and forest products prices, quantities and trade of four alternative conservation extents. These alternatives are based on a recent biological analysis of the conservation needs in order to protect biodiversity in Norway. Roundwood prices are projected to increase moderately when conservation increases domestically only, since the Norwegian forest industry substitutes imported fibre for domestic. The impacts on roundwood prices are more substantial if also Norway’s forest products trading partners increase the forest conservation. If forest owners voluntarily conserve forests subject to an economic compensation (which currently is the most likely policy in Norway), the model results imply that forest owners on average are better off with increased conservation. Domestic sawnwood production is projected to reduce when assuming increasing forest conservation, while the production level in the pulp and paper industry is almost unaffected in the short-run. Finally, increasing demand for forest products as a result of “environmental good-will” may increase roundwood prices and harvest levels in unaffected forest areas significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper, we described a multi-block approach to the regulation and management of reforestation (P.J. Martin, S. Browne Clayton, and E. McWilliams (2002), "A results-based system for regulating reforestation obligations," Forestry Chronicle 78(4): 492-498). Under the multi-block approach, indicators are devised that portray the degree to which the condition of regeneration on harvested areas is consistent with forest management goals. A population of harvested areas is sampled. The current levels of the indicators are estimated and compared to threshold values. If observed levels exceed threshold levels, the population is considered adequately reforested and all reforestation obligations are met. In this paper, we describe some recent enhancements of this concept and demonstrate how the multi-block approach provides characteristics desirable in a regulatory regime. By shifting the focus of reforestation regulation from the stand level to the level of a population of harvested areas, the multi-block approach provides effective regulation, permits efficient management, and addresses several shortcomings in British Columbia's current reforestation regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the post-fire regeneration of Pinus halepensis Mill. ecosystems in the Sithonia peninsula in northern Greece. The pre-burning stands consisted of two storeys; the overstorey of the dominant tree species P. halepensis and the understorey of evergreen sclerophyllous shrubs. The wildfire took place in June 1994. Three months after the fire two experimental plots of 0.75 ha each were established on a northeastern and a southwestern facing slope. In each experimental plot different restoration treatments were applied by using P. halepensis reproductive material. The treatments were the following: (i) planting of paper- pot seedlings, (ii) planting of bare-root seedlings, (iii) seeding in patches, (iv) seeding in strips, (v) seeding in strips and lines. The results of these treatments were compared to the control (no treatment applied). The results showed that all applied restoration works accelerated the rate of regeneration, while the best results were obtained by the method of planting paper-pot seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper argues that NGOs and grassroots organizations have had a positive impact on efforts to preserve the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. By acting alone or by forging alliances with international NGOs they have impacted both environmental legislation and actual enforcement. In a world economy driven by development and the profit motive, these “guardians of the forest” play a key role in the future survival of Amazonia. They challenge traditional notions of clearing forest for the sake of development. The paper uses the cases of Indian grassroots organisations and Greenpeace as illustrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent debates about governance, poverty and environmental sustainability have emphasized a "rights-based" approach, in which equitable development is strongly associated with individual and communal rights. This paper reviews this approach and explores its practical application to Thailand's "Community Forestry Bill," which seeks to establish communal rights of access and conservation in forest reserve areas. The paper examines conflicts concerning watershed forests and mangroves in Thailand, and argues that efforts to support rural livelihoods through community rights have been undermined by a state that has frequently supported commercial interests or opposed decentralization to minority groups. The paper documents how civil society organizations may negotiate rights within the wider public spheres in which rules, rights, and "community" are established, and defended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using historical and contemporary perspectives from Nova Scotia, this paper makes the case that forest recreation, particularly residual supply in the working forest landscape, is best understood in the context of conservation practices and recreation home development. By examining Nova Scotia's land tenure system, forest practices, and forest recreation demand and other resource management concerns, inferences are drawn regarding the critical nature of residual forest recreation provision and the need for government intervention. Overall, this paper provides a generalized conceptual framework useful for analysing residual forest recreation provision in other jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recent legislation for the restitution of ownership rights to, and subsequent management of, formerly privately owned forests in postsocialist Bulgaria has focused largely albeit not exclusively on the restored forests from the perspective of timber production, that is, ‘forest’ equals ‘harvestable timber resource’. Using ethnographic data collected in rural Rhodope Mountain communities, this paper presents a local-level perspective on forests and forest use, including the meaning that forests hold for local residents as a source of non-timber forest products such as mushrooms and medicinal plants, of animal pasture, and of firewood for household heating and cooking. This local social perspective is then contrasted with the timberresource focus of the forestry legislation and subsequent planning for forest use. The scale of forest ownership—in part a function of the restitution legislation—is also addressed in relation to the practicalities of resource management. Generally, the paper demonstrates a mismatch between the postsocialist forestry legislation and local practice and conditions with regard to forests and the natural resources therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests are the major source of biodiversity and ecosystem services, on which millions of livelihoods depend. In Ethiopia, forests play a crucial role in the livelihoods of rural communities by providing various goods and ecosystem services such as timber, non-timber forest products, water resources, and environmental conservation. Despite these benefits, the forests of the country have been subject to continuous degradation, which calls for sustainable conservation. Effective public participation in conservation activities is an important intervention to consider for successful conservation efforts. This paper aims to estimate households’ mean willingness to pay (WTP) both in money/cash and labour time for the conservation of Belete-Gera forest in southwest Ethiopia and to identify determinants of WTP. To address the objectives, survey data was collected from 193 sample households using a double-bounded contingent valuation (CV) format followed by open-ended questions. A bivariate probit model estimation result indicates that the annual mean WTP in monetary values or cash was 167.23 Birr ($4.88) per household, while the annual mean willingness to contribute in labour (WTCL) was 49.66 man-days per household. The finding supports the contribution in labour as a payment vehicle for future CV studies, particularly when applied to low-income households. The result indicates that age of the household head, gender (male), education level, income, and training on forest conservation are statistically significant and have a positive effect on WTP in money, whereas bids offered have negative effects. For the labour bidding case, gender of the household head (male), land holding size, and training on forest conservation are statistically significant and increase households’ WTCL, while dependency ratio, a distance of the residential place from the forest, and bids in labour showed significant negative effects. The estimated results suggest that the local community supports the conservation of the forest, implying that, despite their low-income, rural households are willing to contribute considerable amounts of resources for the proposed conservation program in the study area. Thus, it is suggested that government and development partners need to consider the potential of labour contributions by local communities in conservation policies.

This paper evaluates the potential of available land area for bioenergy projects in 2050 without compromising food security. The paper's novelty is the qualitative and quantitative assessment of parameters interfering with land availability for bioenergy projects. Unlike previous studies, the projections consider food waste, areas of degraded or abandoned land due to low productivity, and parameters generally overlooked by other authors, such as urban agriculture and insect protein consumption. Population's food demand, agricultural productivity changes, and surplus land availability for biofuel production are bases for the methods employed. Three (3) different scenarios were defined: business as usual (Pessimistic Scenario - CP), the best of the realistic scenarios (Optimistic Conservative Scenario - CC), and the ideal situation (Ideal Scenario - CC). The authors did not consider social segmentation variations in land access, characterizing a weakness of the study. Projections disregard economic and market influences governing land use and distribution. Despite the risks to biodiversity because of agricultural frontiers' expansion, there is enough arable land in the world to feed the population in 2050 in the three proposed scenarios. However, choosing to prioritize forest preservation and going for shrubland areas as the next agricultural frontiers, no arable land would remain in the Pessimistic Scenario for biofuels. Otherwise, agriculture would cause deforestation of 24% of forest area (935 million hectares) and causing massive environmental impacts. In the Optimistic Conservative Scenario, 5.7% of agricultural land would remain, supplying 92% of the 2100 target, and in the Ideal Scenario, 42.0% of agricultural land would remain, with the potential of reach the 2100 target more than 6 times. Bioenergy could contribute to 5–17.7% of the global energy matrix in the most realistic scenarios. • There's enough arable land to feed the world in 2050 in any of 3 proposed scenarios. • Pessimistic scenario's agriculture could cause deforestation of 24% of forest area. • In the best realistic scenario, biofuels could avoid 92% of the emissions target. • Fighting against food waste and land degradation must increase land availability. • Bioenergy could contribute to 5–17.7% of the global energy matrix in the most realistic scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainable use of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) is often put forward as a means for ensuring the conservation of forest vegetation types. This paper presents the results of research carried out in the savanna zone of Benin, which highlights the fact that the majority of species yielding important NTFPs are, in fact, located in the fields and fallows. The paper describes how the presence of villages affects the distribution of different vegetation types and how farmers selectively retain certain NTFP tree species, thereby creating a characteristic parkland landscape. It is suggested, however, that changes in the agricultural system and a gradual decline in the importance of NTFPs in people's lives will reduce the incentive for maintaining NTFP species and lead to the eventual loss of the parklands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contesting discourses about natural resource development present a rich arena for ethnographic investigation. This paper focuses on interviews with environmental activists and forest industry defenders to document a struggle over the meaning of land, work and nature in the southwest of Western Australia. While Green activists condemn what they regard as crimes against nature, this moral challenge to rural communities from urban-based environmentalism is inverted by those working in the industry, such that local cultural practices are celebrated in the face of what is seen as emotional and nonscientific rhetoric. Conflicts about resource development are thus driven in significant respects by identity politics. The paper argues for the importance of cultural analysis, focused particularly on concepts of identity and 'place', in the study of contesting moral claims about what should be done with 'the environment'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a paper that assesses the role of urbanization in affecting the sustainability of oak woodland in California. They include ecosystem processes at multiple scales, the existing diversity of biological organisms, and economic viability over the long-term. The paper also discusses some of the conservation policies being implemented in the state.

Foresters have played an important part in the Spanish national strategy against land degradation. It might be expected that after the changes restored political democracy in Spain in the late 1970s, a reorganization of the way the planning and implementation of soil and water conservation projects through reforestation would be changed. This paper considers the case of Guadalajara province as an example of the way in which reforestation has been effected at national level, and the consequences for the ecosystem. It examines how, since the 1940s, the technical methods used by forestry technicians have changed from concerns with protection to those of wood production. Although reforestation methods for wood production have been recognized as detrimental to soil and water conservation, they continue to be used even in the face of considerable opposition by local people and environmental pressure groups. The paper concludes that claims for soil protection mask a policy of wood production, excluding affected people from the decision-making process. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preventing further loss of biodiversity is the most important challenge for conservation biology. The loss of species and the functions and services they provide has negative implications for human well-being. However, conservation efforts focussed on sites with high numbers of species may inadvertently under-represent other facets of biodiversity such as phylogenetic and functional diversity. Further, because these different biodiversity facets vary in their degree of spatial congruence, methods of site selection that maximize phylogenetic, functional, and species diversity are necessary to represent biodiversity in a holistic fashion. In this paper we discuss approaches to such multi-faceted site-level prioritization. Specifically, we examine complementarity algorithms and provide strategies to weight species selection by their trait or phylogenetic distinctiveness. Further, we explore approaches that integrate diversity facets into a single measure of prioritization and incorporate complementarity such that the goal is not just optimizing the protection of biodiversity, but to prioritize the addition of sites representing unprotected biodiversity across different facets. We highlight the strengths and limitations of such an approach. These types of holistic approaches to reserve design should provide flexibility in the face of changing knowledge and priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Mature forests have structural habitat features that can take hundreds of years to develop, and large reserves alone are unlikely to ensure conservation of the species that rely on these features. This paper outlines a proposed new approach to managing mature forest features, the ‘mature habitat management approach’, in areas outside of reserves. The objective was to maintain a network of current and future mature forest habitat distributed across the landscape. The approach is designed to complement the existing reserve network and management actions and is tenure‐blind. Spatial information on the availability of mature forest habitat at the local (1‐km radius) and landscape (5‐km radius) scales is used for decisions on retention within a 1‐km radius of a harvest area, to reach the minimum target of 20% and 30% retention of mature forest at the local and landscape spatial scales, respectively. We believe this approach could contribute to meeting the conservation needs of many species that require mature forest features for refuge and breeding in Tasmania and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Forestry Review is the property of Commonwealth Forestry Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of International Forestry Review is the property of Commonwealth Forestry Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Forest fires have been regarded as a common phenomenon that has endangered forests throughout the history of the world. It changes the vegetation and forest floor suddenly and drastically. Kernel density estimation (KDE) is a frequently employed approach in order to transform historical wildfire data into a smooth and continuous 2-D surface during the spatiotemporal analysis of forest fires. The most crucial step in KDE is to choose the appropriate bandwidth parameter. In this study, a novel approach to obtain an appropriate smoothing parameter is introduced by adapting a powerful nonparametric spline fitting methodology, namely, multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) into the KDE analysis of wildfires for the first time. Spatial and temporal analysis of wildfires between 2000 and 2017 in Mumcular Forest Subdistrict in Turkey is investigated by using the MARS-based KDE analysis. The proposed methodology in this paper produces a single smoothing parameter, instead of a range of values laying within a certain fixed interval, and it appears more robust to the positional uncertainties in the historical fire data, and more reliable than nonobjective visual analysis of maps generated by using alternating smoothing parameter values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The participation of people in the management of forest is not new to India but its roots are seen from the att achment of the people to the forest from great cultures and civilizations that originated in India. The role of community participation makes a sustainable approach for the development and use of the forest produce by the tribes and other traditional forest dwelling communities for their survival. After the introduction of National Forest Policy, 1894 there has been a declaration of forest into protected, commercial and minor forest made these communities vulnerable making them access the resources from the minor forest and entry into other sections of the forest deemed as a act against the authority of government. The introduction of "The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006" revolutionised the rights of these communities for land rights and formation of Joint Forest Management Committ ees with the support of Gram Sabha. This paper presents the role of community and the law framed by the state for protection of forest at the same time protecting the interests of the communities att ached to the forest, it also studies the field experiences from the Harda and Betul districts of Madhya Pradesh with participation of the tribal communities for access to forest rights and title deeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether and how payments for hydrological services (PHS) programs implemented on communal lands in Mexico result in household-level conservation and human wellbeing outcomes. We first use evaluation methods to establish the impact of PHS by comparing outcomes across seven communities enrolled, and one community not enrolled, in PHS. Second, we exploit variations in PHS program design across the enrolled communities to test the role of cash and technical assistance on outcomes. Data come from a 2016 cross-sectional survey of 261 households around El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, in Chiapas, Mexico. We find that households enrolled in PHS implement more conservation actions and that some own more assets than similar households not enrolled in PHS. We find that asset ownership is positively correlated with a household’s payment amount and that conservation practices are related to amount of assistance received. We also measure perceived equity and benefits for households enrolled in PHS and find that perceptions are correlated with both payment and assistance, and strongly influenced by community organization. Our results provide evidence that common-property PHS contracts can change household-level conservation and human wellbeing outcomes, but that these changes are dependent on the type of external motivator and community organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective management of the special-use forests in Vietnam, e.g. nature reserves and national parks, depends on information about disturbances of illegal activities due to the effective protection as patrol ranger efforts (PREs). Patrol rangers are indispensable for protecting forest in conservation areas. Moreover, to enhance PREs efficiency is regularly to reject illegal activities and support conservation. This paper explores the quantification of PREs in terms of illegal activity encounters collected by rangers in Nam Tien Forest Station (FS). Based on a monitoring system of ranger's efforts, the study conducted surveys for monthly activity reports at the central office. The results revealed that the patrol efforts such as patrol-day and distance were inversely proportional to the number of illegal activity encounters and fluctuated in accordance with the time when they were conducted each year. This study will be useful for forest management at the local level in relation to the planning and monitoring of patrol activities. Usefully, this study's finding are critical for application to the various protected areas with respect to curbing illegal activity and enhancing forest resources-based forest management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Notwithstanding recent interest in the politics of housing, squatting in the formative contexts of post‐Restoration rural England remains little understood and studied. Drawing upon a diverse archive of central government papers and those of the local officers of the New Forest – the largest Crown forest in England and Wales – this article argues that the resort to squatting was a function of the uneven contours of forest governance. Moreover, while squatting led to the formation of new communities, it was neither exclusively a plebeian act nor, against official discourses, necessarily an abuse of the assets of the forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of forest management in mitigating climate change is a central concern for the Canadian province of British Columbia. The successful implementation of forest management activities to achieve climate change mitigation in British Columbia will be strongly influenced by public support or opposition. While we now have increasingly clear ideas of the management opportunities associated with forest mitigation and some insight into public support for climate change mitigation in the context of sustainable forest management, very little is known with respect to the levels and basis of public support for potential forest management strategies to mitigate climate change. This paper, by describing the results of a web-based survey, documents levels of public support for the implementation of eight forest carbon mitigation strategies in British Columbia’s forest sector, and examines and quantifies the influence of the factors that shape this support. Overall, respondents ascribed a high level of importance to forest carbon mitigation and supported all of the eight proposed strategies, indicating that the British Columbia public is inclined to consider alternative practices in managing forests and wood products to mitigate climate change. That said, we found differences in levels of support for the mitigation strategies. In general, we found greater levels of support for a rehabilitation strategy (e.g. reforestation of unproductive forest land), and to a lesser extent for conservation strategies (e.g. old growth conservation, reduced harvest) over enhanced forest management strategies (e.g. improved harvesting and silvicultural techniques). We also highlighted multiple variables within the British Columbia population that appear to play a role in predicting levels of support for conservation and/or enhanced forest management strategies, including environmental values, risk perception, trust in groups of actors, prioritized objectives of forest management and socio-demographic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Forestry Review is the property of Commonwealth Forestry Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of International Forestry Review is the property of Commonwealth Forestry Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Mahasweta Devi is a Bengali novelist, playwright, short-story writer, journalist and social-activist. Her works are filled with the lives of the downtrodden, the oppressed, the marginalized and the most neglected. She documents that the life of the tribal. With the pen in her hand becoming a sword, she wages a persistent battle to provide them justice. This research paper aims to study the life of Shabar tribes as depicted in her novel, The Book of the Hunter (2002). This research also tries to highlight the importance of preserving the forest, its resources and the culture of the tribal. This research presents how their culture is affected by the mainstream. It stresses the importance of preserving the oral traditions, folklore, myths of the tribals. It tries to change the negative attitude towards the subaltern and be ready for the revolt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is preliminary part of a long-term and comprehensive monitoring of forest resources in Eden and Dibibi, Quirino Province. The general aim was to present various biodiversity values and functions of trees. Pilot quadrat sampling was used to yield preliminary data on canopy composition and undergrowth tree species. For purposes of the long-term assessment, canopy trees are those individuals having 20cm dbh and higher; undergrowth having <20cm dbh. Various indices were utilized to measure and compare forest strata, diversity, morphology and physiognomy. Species Importance Values and Carbon sequestration formulas were used to glean the functionality of canopy trees. Both forest sites resemble Tropical Lowland Evergreen- and Semi-Evergreen Rainforest formations. General diversity is moderate (H'Eden=2.65; H'Dibibi=2.26) and species composition is heterogeneous (βcc=0.745). At least 18.75% of canopy and undergrowth species are found endemic to the Philippines. Jaccard and Sorenson Indices on forests (collectively and individually) denote that canopy and undergrowth layers are dissimilar. Estimates of AGB and Carbon storage fall below the per-hectare figures given in authoritative literatures. The forests, have ecological and economic potentials. However, only species that abundant in number can be expected to be resilient to disturbances. Other observations can be used as bases for community-based rehabilitation and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to assess the herbicide glyphosate effectiveness in areas dominated by signal grass in forest restoration stands compared to mechanical control. The chemical control consisted in hoeing 1.2 m row, before planting, and when brachiaria achieved medium height of 30 cm applied glyphosate herbicide inter-row in 1,44 kg ha-1. Mechanical control consisted in hoeing 1.2 m row in planting lines and inter-row mowing. Ten different tree species were planted in a 3.2 x 1.7 m spacing. Survival and height growth were evaluated at 6, 12, 18 and 30 months after planting and the collar diameter at 30 months. Implementation and maintenance costs for each treatment were also evaluated at 30 months after planting. Survival rate had little influence from control method. Treatment with glyphosate resulted under all evaluations in superior height growth to all evaluated tree species. The mowing maintenance cost approximately three times the chemical method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecosystem services concept has enjoyed widespread interest and recognition in recent years. In particular, the monetary valuation and commodification of ecosystem services in form of payments for ecosystem services schemes and the development of new markets for ecosystem services has appreciated large popularity. However, who is behind this strong momentum towards ecosystem services and especially why is less well known. In this paper I aim to shed light on this by looking specifically at advocates of the concept of ecosystem services, using forestry in the United Kingdom (UK) as an example. I explore the motivations for accommodating or actively pursuing ecosystem services thinking in this important sector through interviews with forestry and conservation experts. Four prominent groups with a specific interest in the ecosystem services concept in the context of UK forestry are governmental organisations, non-governmental conservation organisations, private forest owners, and the timber and forest industry. These stakeholder groups are interested in this new perspective, chiefly, but not exclusively, because (1) it is required under international obligations; (2) it is in line with dominant market political philosophy; (3) it holds the promise to include the environment more fully into prevailing economic decision-making processes; (4) it can help to draw more attention to biodiversity conservation; (5) it holds the promise of new sources of income from both public and private sources; and (6) it can be used as a convenient argument to promote further tree planting. However, these groups have different, but frequently overlapping reasons for pursuing this new perspective. The results provide a baseline and important insights into who was embracing ecosystem services thinking and why during the early years of the adoption of this approach in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines self-enforcing contracts as a financial mechanism for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation when the opportunity cost of the land (i.e., landholder type) is private information and is imperfectly correlated over time (i.e., partially persistent types). Because self-enforcement limits the feasible incentives, the conservation levels are constrained by the surplus created. Regardless of the degree of persistence of such opportunity costs across contracting periods, a first-best self-enforcing contract can deliver 'additional' carbon sequestration beyond the business as usual scenario only if the value of forest conservation is sufficiently high. Otherwise, self-enforcing contracts can induce some, suboptimal level of carbon sequestration. The degree of persistence of opportunity costs across periods does not affect the amount of total payments provided in the optimal menu of contracts, but greater persistence of opportunity cost types leads to contracts that feature more of the total payment as a bonus in contracts for landholders with a high opportunity cost for their land and more of the total payment as an upfront fixed payment for landholders with a low opportunity cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper renders the results of our research concerning the conservation status of the forest from two NATURA 2000 sites located in Oltenia: ROSCI0202 Oltenia Forest Steppe and ROSCI0039 Ciuperceni - Desa. Within these sites, there are three habitats: 91E0* Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno-Padion, Alnion incanae, Salicion albae), 91F0 Riparian mixed forests of Quercus robur, Ulmus laevis and Ulmus minor, Fraxinus excelsior or Fraxinus angustifolia, along the great rivers (Ulmenion minoris) and 92A0 Salix alba and Populus alba galleries. The investigation of the conservation status of these habitats was carried out by assessing their conservation status at EU level, namely by including them into one of the four categories - "favourable", "unfavourable-inadequate", "unfavourable-bad", and "unknown" - according to the stated attributes for each habitat, to the threats of destruction and to the dangers that may lead to their destruction or disappearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acre State in Brazil is at the forefront of efforts to institutionalize jurisdictional-scale policies that aim to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD +). Given limited REDD + funds and uncertain returns from alternative land uses, this paper estimates the minimum incentive payment Acre's government would have to pay forest landowners in each of its 22 municipalities to ensure forest conservation. Despite lower profits but with lower conversion costs and more stable returns over time relative to corn and coffee production, cattle pasture generates the highest returns in 19 municipalities. Municipalities are ranked according to their relative policy costs, a ranking which is compared to the distribution of forest carbon stocks across Acre. Finally, the relative cost per tonne of carbon is derived, which enables the identification of a group of 13 municipalities with the greatest potential for ‘carbon bang’ for a given ‘buck’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of International Forestry Review is the property of Commonwealth Forestry Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The key objective that is envisaged for this paper is predicting the future changes of Sand Forest that will take place as a result of continued informal wood harvesting. A change prediction model was undertaken through the use of the IDRISI Land Change Modeller, to predict the changes that would occur by 2024 within Sand Forest, over a 10 year period from 2014 base data available. Using Markov chain, the anticipated loss in extent of Sand Forest that may occur from 2014 to 2024 is 10.51 km 2 , over the entire Maputaland. The change prediction model illustrates that the expected loss centres on the larger communities that have established road networks. However, as these resources become depleted, this may change after 2024. The ability of trajectory analysis to predict potential changes based on observed and quantified trends provides a new dynamic to conservation and management strategies. In understanding where and how much Sand Forest will be lost in the forthcoming 10 years, more appropriate and accurate recommendations on conservation and management can be made. Furthermore, priority areas can be more readily identified for both conservation and for management intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

George Perkins Marsh's book Man and Nature was the first work of natural history to fundamentally influence American politics. This paper establishes the powerful impact that Alexander von Humboldt's writings had on Marsh. Marsh took ideas that Humboldt introduced across his books and synthesized them into a single powerful argument regarding the dangers of deforestation. These warnings eventually led to policies that sought to more carefully manage forestland, plant trees, and spawn the 20th century conservation movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the potential of public–private partnerships to contribute to the resolution of decision-making dilemmas concerning private goods that also provide public services. We focus on forests that deliver many ecosystem services and are important for biodiversity, which pose problems regarding the values that should be considered in their protection and exploitation. Conflicts between the interests and values concerned (or at least prioritization difficulties) will arise and their satisfactory resolution will require some kind of collaboration between governmental authorities and private forest owners. Thus, the Swedish Forest Agency has initiated a pilot project on a new form of such partnerships, Nature Conservation Agreements for social values, which are considered as a case study here. We use an adapted version of the Ladder of Partnership Activity, which includes theoretical constructs such as context, perceptions and motives, creation of collaborative advantages and the constitution of rules, to see if and how these partnerships can enhance an embedded governance system, by enabling the actors to address collective problems in a mutually satisfactory manner. Our results contribute knowledge on how the governance of forests can be designed, and the kinds of values that could be included to spur the implementation of partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The core of "Long Forest" belief of the Dai nationality is to protect natural forests and forests for conservation of water supply as the home of ancestral gods of the nation and to maintain the ecological balance by means of "Long Forest" worship, "Long Forest" taboo, the traditional customary law, and village regulation and non-governmental agreement This paper takes Manjingchengzi Village in Xishuangbanna as an example to analyze the distribution of forest land in different periods over the past 60 years and explore the role of "Long Forest" belief in the conservation of local forest resources in a view to providing a frame of reference for regional ecological environment protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]